This is a recommendation, not an official “best layout”
The underlying Shaker, Wet Sand and Water mechanics are official. The arrangement below is a practical layout principle and has not been independently benchmarked by this site.
First factory
Build a stable first factory before you build a big one
Recommended approach: keep the opening Gold line compact, make each material path visible, leave open space under the Shakers for Gold, and give Residue its own exit before adding more production.
Build in this order
Choose one controlled input
Feed a manageable Wet Sand stream instead of flooding the entire area. A smaller input makes it much easier to see whether the bottleneck is Water, Shaker capacity, or Residue movement.
Give Gold a clean drop zone
Gold passes through the Shaker body, so the space below should stay open and separate from other solids.
Give Residue a side exit
Residue stays on top and moves slowly. Do not let it accumulate where new Wet Sand is entering.
Keep Water mixing upstream
Make Wet Sand before the Shaker area. Water is easier to diagnose when it has a clear basin/mixing zone rather than leaking through the production line.
Scale only after each path is readable
Add more Shaker capacity when you know which material is backing up. Expanding before that point often hides the real cause.
What “stable” means here
Wet Sand reaches the Shakers consistently.
Gold has an unobstructed collection area.
Residue can leave without burying fresh input.
Water loss can be seen and corrected upstream.